‘Force Awakens’ pulls in record $57 million on opening night

After even George Lucas, the man who invented the Star Wars lore, let many fans down with his prequel films, Abrams (also director of the first two resurrected Star Trek films), has sizable Lucas-sneakers to fill – a galaxy far, far away to justify. However, with Force Awakens playing somewhat similarly to how Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2 played during its opening weekend, Potter’s 2.5 multiplier can’t be overlooked, which would give the film a $565 million domestic run.

The movie’s global rollout, which began Wednesday, Dec. 16, has brought $72.7 million.

Disney is projecting a Friday full day total of over $100 million, which would give the film the record for biggest opening day in box office history. “The Force Awakens” surpassed “Jurassic World’s” $207 million total, which roared past “The Avengers” this spring to claim the top spot.

While “Star Wars” helped create the summer blockbuster, “The Force Awakens” is debuting in the holiday season of December, where the previous top opening was the $84.6 million debut of 2012’s “The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey”.

Walt Disney Studios and Rentrak tracking service now estimate that Friday’s opening day numbers will reach the $120 – $125 million range.

3-D screening accounted for 47% of the night’s grosses on Thursday. Sequels and spinoffs are already in development for years to come, not to mention an entire corner of Disneyland devoted to the franchise.

But “The Force Awakens” is riding a wave of hype, nostalgia and positive reviews from critics and fans alike. “The Force Awakens” opens in China on January 9.

After fielding questions, Obama concluded the press conference: “OK everybody, I got to get to ‘Star Wars'”.